Remote control actuating device for a valve

An actuating device for the remote operation of a valve, comprising a valve housing and a shaft for operating the valve, said actuating device comprising a device housing, at least one piston displaceably positioned within said device housing and being actuatable by a pressure medium for displacement in a first direction, a toothed rack connected to said piston for displacement therewith, a pinion shaft including a pinion located within said device housing and with said pinion disposed in meshed engagement with said rack for rotating said pinion shaft, said pinion shaft being arranged for operatively engaging the valve shaft of the valve for operating the valve, means for engagement with the valve housing, and said means forming a base for mounting said device housing on the valve housing, wherein the improvement comprises that said device housing is of a modular construction comprising a center part having a first axis and a second axis extending transversely of the first axis, said pinion shaft is located within said center part and is coaxial with said first axis, said at least one piston being displaceable within said device housing in the direction of said second axis, said device housing includes a separate cylinder part for enclosing said piston, means on said center part extending around said second axis on opposite sides of said first axis for selectively securing said cylinder part onto said center part so that one said piston can be positioned on one of said opposite sides of said center part or for selectively securing one said cylinder part on each of the opposite sides of said first axis so that one said piston and cylinder part can be positioned on each of the opposite sides of said first axis with said toothed rack of each said piston being engageable with said pinion shaft for combining the displacing action of said pistons in the operation of said valve, means engageable with said at least one piston within said cylinder part for biasing said piston in the direction opposite to the first direction in which said piston is actuated by the pressure medium, said means for engagement with the valve housing being variable in size in accordance with the size of the valve housing, and a coupling part for connecting said pinion shaft and the valve shaft of the valve and said coupling part being variable in size in accordance with the size of the valve shaft so that said means for engagement with the valve and said coupling are the only components of variable size required for using said actuating device with a variety of valves, said coupling part being connected to said pinion shaft by a plug connection, and said means for engagement with said valve housing comprises said base secured to said device housing and extending in the direction of the first axis toward said valve housing, clamping members extending downwardly from said base and disposed in contacting clamped engagement with said valve housing and quick releasing wedge connecting parts pressing said clamping members against said valve housing so that said actuating device can be quickly removed from said valve housing, said means for biasing said piston opposite to the first direction comprises springs acting on said piston for affording different spring characteristics acting thereon, said pistons and said racks connected thereto on opposite sides of said pinion shaft being rotatable around said second axis through 180.degree. for reversing the rotational direction of said pinion shaft afforded by said pistons and racks, and said pinion having a number of teeth divisible by four for affording such rotational direction reversal.